Leadership

Nathalie Chuard

Nathalie Chuard did her studies in Arts and Political Sciences in Switzerland and Russia. In 2000, she started her career at the Swiss NGO Terre des hommes and took on a variety of postings abroad, including in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Madagascar, and the Middle East.

She joined the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 2005 and, as a Swiss Diplomat, served among other positions as Deputy Head of the Human Rights Section in Berne and Political Coordinator at the Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York. From 2018, she headed the Middle East and Northern Africa Division (Humanitarian Aid) of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. From 2020 to 2023, she was the Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh.

She speaks French, German, English, and Russian.

Joining DCAF in March 2023, Ambassador Nathalie Chuard is the first woman appointed as Director of the organization.

Anne Bennett

Anne Bennett is currently Interim Head of DCAF’s Operations Department and Head of the Sub-Saharan African Division. 

Before joining DCAF in 2017, Anne worked for Fondation Hirondelle, where she served as Country Representative in Sierra Leone, Sudan and South Sudan, and Myanmar. In that role she supported access to independent information for populations affected by conflict. A focus of her work has been the prevention of gender based violence, including the piloting of a technology-based initiative funded by the World Bank Group and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative to prevent intimate partner violence among Somali refugees. 

As a Visiting Scientist at Harvard Humanitarian Initiative Ms. Bennett conducted research on information and communication during humanitarian crisis, and including lessons learned from the 2014-2015 Ebola crisis and the 2018 report Engaging with People Affected by Armed Conflicts and Other Situations of Violence. 

She graduated from University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in History and holds a Masters in International History and Politics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, University of Geneva.

Hans Born

Hans Born (PhD) is Assistant Director and Head of the Policy and Research Department at DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, and in this capacity he also assumes the responsibility of the head of the Policy & Research Division. 

Hans Born has wide experience in managing policy and research projects on security sector governance and reform mandated by, among others, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament. In this context, he has published widely on security sector reform and governance, including parliamentary oversight, intelligence oversight, police accountability, and human rights. Notably, he has published the DCAF – IPU Handbook on Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector which has been translated into over 40 languages. 

Hans also has experience in implementing operational projects aimed at supporting national actors to strengthen their SSG/R approaches. For instance, he was responsible for a major EU funded police reform project in Myanmar in 2014-2016.  He also spearheaded the International Conference for Ombuds Institutions for the Armed Forces (ICOAF) which is currently a global platform convening ombuds institutions of 50+ states annually, aiming at strengthening grievance mechanisms related to the security sector. Hans is a member of the of the advisory board on security sector reform of the United States Institute for Peace (USIP). An overview of selected publications can be found here. 

Prior to joining DCAF, Hans served as (conscript) First Lieutenant in the Royal Netherlands’ Army, and worked as a consultant at the management consultancy firm “ODPR” (of the Netherlands Association of Municipalities) and as an assistant professor at the Netherlands’ Defense Academy. 

He holds an MA in Public Administration (finance and management) from the University of Twente and a PhD in social sciences from Tilburg University in the Netherlands.
 

Alan Bryden

Alan Bryden is the Interim Head of DCAF’s International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT). In that role, he leads ISSAT’s work supporting the international community to promote good security sector governance and reform in conflict-affected and fragile states. Alan previously led DCAF’s work on Business and Security, developing innovative partnerships with companies, governments, and communities to improve security, sustainable development, and respect for human rights. 

Prior to joining DCAF, Alan was a UK civil servant. Among other roles, he was focal point for international humanitarian law issues within the Ministry of Defence and worked in the field of humanitarian demining with the Department for International Development. 

Alan holds degrees in History and International Relations and a PhD from the Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford. He is a graduate of the International Training Course at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.
 

Sophie Pagnetti-Takorian

In June 2018, Sophie Pagnetti-Takorian assumed the newly created position of Head of the People, Resources and Organization Department. In this role, she is responsible for leading and developing DCAF's overall resource management to increase efficiency, impact, and value. Sophie is actively involved in matters relating to people, culture, and duty of care, including mental wellbeing, gender, climate, and protection of personal integrity.
 
Sophie's responsibilities also include driving the financial strategy, directing the financial planning cycle, and improving the control environment to monitor and mitigate key risks. She is responsible for devising and driving the human resource strategy and overseeing legal matters and the development of information systems.
 
Sophie brings extensive experience in transforming resource management, culture, and governance in international non-profit organizations. She spent eight years with big four auditing firms and nine years in non-profit leadership roles, including at Médecins Sans Frontières Suisse where she advised the Director on overall resource and risk management. She is specialized in the management of international organizations with both field offices and headquarters.
 
Sophie is a graduate of the Burgundy School of Business and Management (Master) and is a certified chartered accountant (PHD level) and a qualified auditor. 
In addition to regularly lecturing at the Haute école de gestion (HEG) and the Université de Genève (UNIGE), she holds certifications in team coaching from the University Paris Dauphine, as well as emotional intelligence, behavioral analysis in the workplace, and competency-based interviews. 

Sophie is a French national and speaks English and French.